Hank Azaria biography

Years ago, if you were in New York and stopped by at a place called the Arcadia for a drink, the guy serving you from behind the bar may have been Azaria.

Born in Queens, New York, he trained for the stage at New York's American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He attended Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in the early '80s, but didn't receive his B.A. until he completed the courses in Los Angeles a few years later. In 1992, he had a guest appearance on TV's Mad About You and later married Helen Hunt, one of the sitcom's stars, in 1999, but they divorced just over a year later.

In fact, it's on TV that Azaria has his biggest fame, even though you never see him. You see, he's also Apu Nahasapeemapeemapetilon, Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Dr. Nick Riviera, Bumblebee Man and a host of other character voices on The Simpsons, for which he has won several Emmys so far for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance." In film he has voiced the comical character Bartok the white bat in Anastasia. Although a minor role, Bartok became so popular among younger audiences that a movie starring the winged rodent was soon released on video. He also reprised his voice over characters in The Simpsons Movie (2007).